The invention relates to an assembly for an internal combustion engine, which comprises at least one oil filter and a second housing structure. Such an assembly is known, for instance, from DE 94 11 212. This assembly is the oil filter of an internal combustion engine in which the housing structure is formed by the housing of the oil filter and the second structure is the internal combustion engine itself. The oil filter is provided with a replaceable filter element. Since the housing structure of the oil filter is oriented horizontally, the residual oil remaining in the housing must be drained prior to filter replacement to ensure drip-free removal of the filter element. To this end, a separate drain plug is provided at the geodetically lowest area of the housing and must be opened prior to filter removal.
The drain plug generates extra work during production and installation of the filter as well as during replacement of the filter element. This has the drawback of reducing the economic efficiency of the proposed solution.
It is therefore the object of the invention to provide an assembly for an internal combustion engine with an oil filter, an oil drain and a second housing structure which functions in a simple manner.
Another object of the invention is to provide an assembly with an oil filter for an internal combustion engine which is cost-effective to be produce.
These and other objects are achieved in accordance with the present invention by providing an oil filter assembly for an internal combustion engine comprising a first housing structure which houses an oil filter in which an exchangeable filter element is installed such that lubricating oil of the internal combustion engine flows through the filter element, said first housing structure having an oil drain which can be unblocked when the filter element is removed from the oil filter; and a second housing structure including a duct structure for conveying fluids contained in an oil circuit of the internal combustion engine; wherein the oil drain of the first housing structure and the duct structure of the second housing structure open into one another and join to form a common line segment.
The assembly according to the invention comprises a first housing structure and a second housing structure. These housing structures are combined. They may also be designed as part of the internal combustion engine. For instance, one housing structure can be formed by the oil pan of the internal combustion engine. The first housing structure accommodates the oil filter; the second housing structure contains at least one duct structure that is suitable for conveying the fluids within the oil circuit. The fluids in the oil circuit, of course, include the lubricating oil itself as well as crankcase gases that pass from the combustion chambers of the cylinders into the crankcase.
The invention provides that the oil drain of the oil filter and the duct structure provided in the second housing structure open into one another so that a common line segment for the duct structures is created. This reduces the complexity of the overall construction. Simpler structures are created, which on the one hand provide increased design freedom in the configuration of the assembly and on the other hand are easier to manufacture. Duct structures in particular, because they are hollow spaces, require extra production steps to produce them, and thus involve additional cost, which can be minimized by combining the ducts.
One embodiment of the invention provides that the duct structure in the second housing structure be formed by a drain line for the lubricating oil on the oil pan of the internal combustion engine. This drain line is used in an oil change when the used lubricating oil must be removed from the lowest possible point of the internal combustion engine. The drain line may be sealed, e.g., by a sealing element, particularly a drain plug. If the drain duct of the oil filter is configured accordingly, it can be sealed by this sealing element at the same time. Opening the sealing element thus unblocks the drain line both for the lubricating oil from the oil pan and for the oil from the filter housing at the same time. In an oil change, this eliminates the additional step of emptying the filter housing prior to filter replacement, which is generally done at the same time as the oil change. This also saves time in an oil change.
Another option to seal the drain line of the oil filter is to arrange a pressure-operated stop valve. This valve may comprise, for instance, a valve body in the form of a plate which acts like a leaf spring. As soon as oil pressure builds up on the pressure side of the oil filter, the stop valve closes, so that there is no short circuit to the oil pan. During an oil change, however, the oil circuit is in an unpressurized state, so that the stop valve is open. Thus, as soon as the oil is being drained from the oil pan, the filter housing also drains. The described stop valve is simple to manufacture and increases the design freedom in the configuration of the various drain ducts.
Another embodiment of the invention provides that the duct structure be formed by an inlet duct for conveying crankcase gases. This inlet duct connects the crankcase to an oil separator, where the gases are cleaned and released either to the environment or to the intake system of the internal combustion engine. This duct can be simultaneously used to ensure return of oil residues from the housing of the oil filter. The common line segment from the inlet duct for crankcase gases and from the oil drain of the filter then extends from the junction of the two lines to the crankcase. Thus the assembly advantageously comprises the oil filter and the oil separator for the crankcase gases and can be constructed as a module. Overall, this provides cost savings in both production of the assembly and in its installation.
Another possibility to integrate the oil drain of the filter is to combine it with the return duct of the oil separator, which is intended for the oil separated from the crankcase gases. This essentially achieves the above-described advantages. Of course, the return duct and the inlet duct of the oil separator can also be produced as a single duct structure. This further enhances the degree of integration of the assembly and thereby increases the economic efficiency of the apparatus.
Integrating the oil separator and oil filter in a single module makes it possible, in particular, to save installation space. This advantage can be used especially if the oil separator and/or the oil filter have an elongated or oval cross section. This makes it possible to adapt the oil separator/oil filter more closely to the associated filter housing of the module so that the overall structural dimensions are reduced.
The oil drain provided in the oil filter also permits the filter housing to be arranged with the central axis of the filter element in an inclined or horizontal (i.e., non-vertical) orientation. The resulting volumes which cannot be drained through the regular oil outlet of the filter housing, are emptied automatically through the oil drain during filter replacement. Drip-free removal of the filter element is thus independent of its installation position. This affords greater design freedom in the arrangement of the filter within the engine compartment of the internal combustion engine.
These and other features of preferred embodiments of the invention, in addition to being set forth in the claims, are also disclosed in the specification and/or in the drawings, and the individual features each may be implemented in embodiments of the invention either individually or in the form of subcombinations of two or more features and can be applied to other fields of use and may constitute advantageous, separately protectable constructions for which protection is also claimed.